Page 10 of Secrets of the Frostbound Cottage

And that was when the shit really hit the fan.

A surge of gratitude from the pup hit me like a punch in the stomach, almost knocking me off balance. I gasped and staggered back, narrowly avoiding the man’s fist as it flew towards my jaw. Thankfully, years of training meant I anticipated what was going to happen next. Before he could get his next strike in, I threw a swift punch to his temple andknocked him down. He crumpled to the ground as I rubbed my knuckles with satisfaction.

The pup continued to growl at my feet, her small body trembling with adrenaline as she faced the unconscious man. Her lips were pulled back in a fierce snarl as she bared tiny teeth that still seemed far too big for her size.

‘It’s okay,’ I murmured to reassure her, though my voice wavered. ‘He’s down.’ I wondered what this man had done to this tiny, brave pup because her hatred of him was deep and strong.

‘It’s okay,’ I whispered again, but her growl only deepened before turning into a sharp bark that sliced through the silence like a warning bell. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, a primal instinct and an undeniable sign that things were about to go from bad to worse.

‘Pup?’ I started to reach for her but froze mid-air as her gaze darted to the man’s chest. Following her lead, my eyes locked on him – and on the dark, writhing shadow that was peeling itself away from his body.

The air thickened, charged with a suffocating energy that pressed against my chest. The dark shape, smoke-like yet disturbingly solid, rose and spread tendrils that slithered and twisted like living things. They reached out and clawed towards me.

‘Oh hell,’ I whispered, dread curling through me. ‘This is bad. This isreallybad.’

The pup barked again, her small frame trembling but resolute as she faced the shadow beast that was slithering towards us. I envied her courage because my stomach was churning with fear.

It was a demon. Demons weren’t just bad news, they were catastrophic. Taking one down would have been a challenge even in Witchlight Cove, surrounded by all the magicalresources I’d once had, but here in the non-magical world? Without the Eternal Flame? I waswayout of my depth.

I thought of Gazza, Tanya and the poor helpless dogs below. I might have been badly out of my depth, but it wasn’t time to tread water. I couldn’t let anything happen to them, not on my watch.

My pulse thudded painfully and the edges of my vision blurred as the malevolent force pressed on me. ‘Pup, you can’t take it on,’ I hissed, my voice barely audible over her barking. ‘Come away! Now!’

The demon’s shadow reared higher from its comatose human host, its inky form coalescing into a vaguely human shape. A pair of glowing red eyes snapped open like fire-licked coals and locked onto me. My body tensed with the weight of its malice.

For a second I was frozen, lost in memories of another night filled with darkness and death. Then the puppy growled and I was back in a moment I’d rather not have been in.

Fight or flight? Every nerve in my body screamed at me to run – but where? The door was too far away and the demon would be too fast. Then there was the pup … I couldn’t run and leave her to a fate worse than death.

I needed magic, powerful magic, and I had none. I wasn’t treading water, I was going to drown. I needed someone to send me a magical lifesaver, or at least a weapon. All I had with me was a very heavy set of keys. Maybe the cactus keychain would be my salvation? Maybe I could prod the human host in the eye and the pain of being blinded would make the demon leave?

As I pulled them out, I suddenly remembered something that might help more than a stupid plastic cactus keychain: a gift from Maddie, my childhood best friend. She was an alchemist and she’d given me a vial that she’d said would protect me. She’d warned me not to use it lightly, but this was as dark as it got. A demon. A goddamndemon.

I clawed through the tangle that jingled like mocking laughter: keys for the studio, keys for my flat, for Rosie. Plastic trinkets and tiny souvenirs. Why did I have so damned many?

The demon gave a guttural growl that reverberated through the room and rattled the furniture. Its tendrils shot forward fast as a whip, cracking into the floorboards inches from where I was crouching.

‘Dammit, come on!’ I snarled, my hands trembling as I dug through the clutter. The pup yelped as the demon's strike came close to her, and she darted between my legs as if I could protect her. ‘Stay back, girl. I’ve got this,’ I lied.

Finally my fingers closed around the glass vial on the keychain and I yanked it free. Pulling out the cork with my teeth, I was in such a panic that a tiny drop of liquid sloshed out and fell on the dog. The rich, metallic scent of magic hit me like a thunderclap, a heady reminder of Witchlight Cove, of Maddie, of all that I’d left behind.

But there was no time for nostalgia. As the demon lunged, I didn’t think – I just acted. With a scream, I flung the vial and the entire mess of keychains at its gaping maw.

The vial shattered mid-air, releasing a surge of Maddie’s inky-purple magic. The demon’s scream tore through the room, shrill and ear-splitting, like nails dragged across a chalk board but amplified a hundredfold. The windows exploded inwards in a shower of jagged shards and the floor trembled beneath me.

‘Down!’ I shouted, scooping up the pup and throwing us both under the desk as glass rained down. My arms curled protectively around her tiny frame and I felt her heartbeat hammering against my chest.

The demon thrashed and its shadowy form unravelled as its tendrils were torn apart by the liquid’s raw power. For a moment it clung on, its burning red eyes locked on mine withpure hatred. Then, with a final, wrenching wail, it dissolved into curling wisps that faded into nothingness.

Silence fell, save for the sound of my ragged breathing and the pup’s soft whimpers.

I stayed down, my body shaking with fear and adrenaline, but as the little dog nuzzled closer her warmth grounded me and I dared to lift my head. The demon was gone; the only reminders of its presence were the shattered window and the lingering stench of sulphur.

‘Jesus, Maddie,’ I murmured. ‘How the hell did you do that?’ She was an alchemist and she’d only been eighteen when I left. How on earth had she made something so powerful it had vanquished a demon? She’d been practising with my dad, working with the Eternal Flame – but even so.

I was still trembling. It had been so long since I’d felt out of my league, so long since I’d practised magic. I was strong, fast and tough in the human world, but in the magic world I was rusty as hell. My mum would have had my guts for garters.

‘Good girl,’ I murmured to the pup, my voice cracking. ‘You did a great job scaring it off.’

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